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M77A-X Jaguar Armoured Personnel Carrier
Among the many prototypes that Project EXCALIBUR produced, the majority were not adopted for one reason or another. The M13-X Lynx Light Reconnaissance Vehicle was shelved for budgetary reasons, while the development of the XAD82-CAS Petrel Gunship was flawed from the beginning. One design which had perhaps the greatest chance of success was the M77A-X Jaguar APC, developed for theatres of combat where the common but exposed M12 Warthog LRV variants were utterly ineffective. It also pioneered the use of the "Ancile" armour system, developed to be effective against plasma weaponry. Though it had begun limited production, the entire line was destroyed during the Battle of Reach, and the last two were destroyed during the First Battle of New Mombasa. History The technological inferiority of humanity when compared to the Covenant has always been the UNSC's biggest weakness. In space, that weakness has seen our ships and fleets obliterated, the superior weaponry and shields of Covenant warships making them superior to anything the UNSC can field. Numbers have been the only way to counteract those weaknesses, and there are simply not enough ships. In planetary theatres of combat, the UNSC has fared much better. Humanity's ability to use superior tactics and strategies has managed to counteract the technology and numbers of the Covenant, but it is still not enough. The most the Marines, Army and Air Force can do is hold the enemy off long enough for the civilians to evacuate - and with the orbital advantage that the Covenant has, that is never long enough. But even on the ground, the technological inferiority is still there - while vehicles like the M12 LRV or the M274 ULATV have proven robust and flexible, they remain horribly vulnerable to Covenant weaponry. The Warthog was designed for reconnaissance, but has been pressed into combat use, with various weapons grafted to its rear tray. The Mongoose is even worse, with no protection at all for the driver, relying on its speed and agility. Vehicles like the M808B Main Battle Tank have fared better, but are too big and bulky to operate in confined urban areas. EXCALIBUR was a massive retrofit project, begun in 2542 but continuing for the next ten years, intended to render that particular weakness a moot point. As part of that, UNSC Marine Corps commanders asked for a new vehicle, designed to operate where tanks couldn't, bringing serious firepower to urban conflicts, and protecting troops far better than current vehicles were capable of. Several companies submitted proposals, but few met the requirements of TEMERITY. Sierra Space Systems and Bellum Aerospace Industries were eventually selected, Sierra proposing the M66-X Panther IFV, and Bellum proposing the M77A-X Jaguar. Aesthetically, both were similar vehicles, bulky with thick armour and designed for better performance than past UNSC APC's. The Panther was built along lines more reminiscent of a main battle tank, incorporating treads and possessing a dorsal cannon, obviously designed as a supplement to the Scorpion MBT - internally, it had the capacity for up to six Marines, able to be deployed in combat theatres and supported by the Panther. The Jaguar was intended for the same role, but had some basic differences that set it apart - it used a 6x6 wheel configuration, meant to take advantage of the existing infrastructure of UNSC colonies, such as roads and highways, reducing cost. Its armaments were also less powerful, though it did mount a remote-operated XM202 autocannon on top, or a crew-operated M247 GPMG, and possessed firing ports for a fireteam to fire out. What set the Jaguar apart most was its use of advanced metamaterials. During the selection process, Sierra made numerous overtures to CENTCOM, claiming that the Jaguar was unreliable, that it was too costly to mass produce, and that the design wasn't rugged enough for the role the vehicles would have to perform. In field testing, BAI proved the latter claims to be exaggeration, and the Jaguar performed well under simulated fire, even without taking the Ancile into account. Testing of the Ancile proved conclusively that it was an effective anti-plasma defensive measure, and though it had no effect on lasers or particle beams, the commonality of plasma weapons throughout the Covenant gave CENTCOM the confidence to approve production. The Panther was also approved, though was manufactured in far smaller numbers, and stopped altogether when the company was acquired by Misriah Armouries in 2550. A small number were aboard the UNSC Gungnir, attached to the UNSC 30th Fleet, when they were assigned to Minorca, and were intended for combat - New London fell before they could be deployed to their units, and for a long time the vehicles languished in a warehouse in Covenant-controlled New London until they were appropriated by a squad of Special Forces Marines fleeing the city. Other Jaguars were present on Reach when the Covenant invaded it, and saw more extensive action. The Ancile proved itself in battle, allowing ODST and Marine forces unprecedented protection from Covenant fire, though all were inevitable destroyed as the Covenant swept across the planet. Only two were recovered from Minorca and were present on Earth, the last of their kind - destroyed when the Prophet of Regret's Assault Carrier jumped from New Mombasa. Design Though larger and bulkier than the M12 Warthog LRV, the Jaguar was designed for urban combat. The UNSC had learned many lessons from the Insurrection, and from disparate colonist's desperate attempts at self-defence, and incorporated a v-shaped ventral hull for mine protection. Its 6x6 wheels also lifted it higher off the ground, again reducing the damage inflicted by mines. Its wheeled nature allowed it to take advantage of existing inftrastructure, and in the increasingly urban theatres of combat the Covenant were pressing into, the Jaguar would be at home on formerly civilian roads and highways. It was equally at home on uneven terrain thanks to a robust suspension system, and its cabin incorporated a sophisticated motion tracker and GPS system. One lesson the UNSC had learned from the Warthog was the importance of the motion tracker, given the active camouflage possessed by the Covenant, and the Jaguar made good use of this on Reach. Externally, the jaguar seemed little different to other UNSC APC's, using a standard configuration. The cabin at the front was reinforced by titanium-vanadium framework, with the troop bay located behind it, with a gun mount at the top - either for an XM202 remote operated autocannon, or a crew-operated M247 GPMG. The entire vehicle was protected by Ceramic-Titanium Composite armour, but also had a layer of "Ancile" metamaterial - the "ancile", developed by BAI for use on starships, was used as an external hull armour. Running an electric current through the metal produced a powerful electromagnetic field - originally, it had been intended to collapse plasma torpedoes before they could impact the hull, but the material worked just as effectively against smaller scale weapons, and even allowed the vehicle to survive a direct hit from a Wraith mortar - though in bad condition, it still allowed its occupants a better chance than any previous vehicle. Quotes *"I heard a guy say he saw one of these on a highway get up and walk away. He was obviously drunk." *"The Jaguars could take a pounding. Plasma rifles? Left not a scratch. Needlers just bounced right off. The enemy would need a Fuel Rod Gun to even make a dent. Why don't we have these anymore?!" *"Yeah, the loss of Reach was a hard hit. But an ODST buddy told me his platoon took the prototypes for a...spin before they evacced. And he was impressed. They guy's a Helljumper, and he was impressed." *"The only real action any of them saw was at Minorca, and that was a fluke. A few prototypes left over from the factory." Category:Morhek Category:UNSC Vehicles